Sewing machine ruffling mechanism



A. B. VCLAYTON Vswmcf MACHINE RUFFING nncrumsu.

Aug. 1,8? 11931--- Filed July 25, 1930 z 1.11.3 i 1 mwN.

Aug. 18, i931. A. E. cLAYToN 1,319,278

` SEWING MACHINE RUFFLING MECHANISM Filed July 25. 1930- 2`Sheets-Sheet 2 l *4F 5 l i gwoentw Patented Aug. 18, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oFricE ANDREW B. CLAYTON, OF UNION, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANU* FACTURING COMPANY, OIE" ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY SEWING MACHINE RITEFLING MECHAN ISM Application filed July 25, 1930. Serial No. 470,566.

This invention relates to sewing machines and has for an object to provide a sewing machine with simplified and improved rufling mechanism.

The invention consists in the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2- Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section through the rock-shaft sections mounted at the side of the sewing machine bracket arm and shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 8.

Fig. 5 is a front end elevation of the machine. Fig. 5a is a perspective view of the ruflier blade and its carrier. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 6, Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is Z5 a top plan view of the coupling mechanism for the rock-shaft sections. Fig. 8 is a top plan view on the line 8-8, Fig. 6. Fig: 9 is a side elevation of the coupling device for the rock-shaft sections, with the parts in coupled relation, and Fig. 10 is a development of the cam which actuates the coupling device.

The sewing machine is constructed with a frame including the bed 1, cloth-plate 2, and gooseneck including the upright member or standard 8 carrying the overhanging bracket-arm 4 terminating in the head 5 in which are mounted the usual reciprocating needle-bar 6 and presser-bar 7 carrying, respectively, the needle 8 and presser-foot 9. The presser-foot 9 cooperates with the usual feeding mechanism including the feeddog 10. The stitch-forming mechanism comprises the needle 8 and the usual looper low the cloth-plate 2 to form stitches.

The stitch-forming and feeding mechanisms are driven by the usual connections with the main-shaft 12 which is mounted below the cloth-plate 2 and at its rearward 11 which cooperates with the needle 8 beend carries the usual balance wheel 18 and grooved belt-pulley 14 by which the machine is connected to the source of power.

Mounted in bearing brackets 15 and 16 on the upright member 8 of the gooseneck is the rearwardly disposed or driving rockshaft 17 which is coaxial with the driven rock-shaft 18. The driven rockshaft 18 is journaled at its forward end in the bearing bracket 19 mounted on the head 5 and is supported. at its rearward end, Fig. 4, by a reduced coaxial extension 2O which freely enters a corresponding coaxial aperture in the adjacent end of the rearward rock-shaft 17. When the machine is in operation, constant rocking movements are imparted to the rock-shaft 17 by the eccentric 21 on the main-shaft 12, which eccentric is connected by the pitman 22 to the slotted crank-arm 28 fixed to the roclcshaft 17.

Also fixed to the rock-shaft 17 is a collar 24 having at one side the radial key-exten sions 25 which enter corresponding key-ways in the coupling'element 26 slidably mounted on the rock-shafts 17, 18 substantially at their point of juncture. The slidable coupling element 26 is formed with radial shoulders 27 which at times overlap or are in driving relation with corresponding shoulders 28 on the collar 29 fixed to the driven rockeshaft 18. As will be seen in Fig. 8, there is a certain amount of clearance provided by the spacing of the shoulders 27 from the shoulders 28. This clearance permits the sliding coupling member 26 to be shifted endwise of the rock-shaft 17 into coupling relation with the collar 29, while said coupling member 26 is in rocking motion.

Fixed to the forward end of the driven rockshaft 18 is an arm 80 to the lower end of which is pivoted at 81 an arm 82 carrying the rufliing blade 88. rl`he arm 82 has an upward extension 82 which ispressed against by the leaf-spring 84 mounted on the arm 80 and tending at all times to move the ruiiling blade 88 from full line or inoperative position, Fig. 5, to dotted line or operative position in engagementwith the 1 usual separating blade 85 xed to the rigid cam 50 rotate,

carrier-arm 36 mounted on the head 5. The upward extension 32 of the arm 32 has rigidly secured thereto the arm 37 the lower edge of which rests upon the roller 38 clarried by the arm 39 fixed to the rocking frame 40 which has lugs 41 gournaled upon and movable relative to the rock-shaft 18. Movement of the arm 39 from full line position Fig. 5 to dotted line position, allows the ruiil-ing blade 33 to drop under the influence of the spring 34 into operative position upon the separating blade 35.

A coil spring 42 ancho-red at one end 43 to a collar 44 fixed to the driven rock-shaft 18 and at its other end 45 to the bearing lug 19, yieldingly urges the rockfsh-aft 18 in a direction Yto retract the ruiing blade from the presser-foot 9. Thecollar 29 is ornied with a depending stop-arm 46 which engages the rstopf'screw 47 to limit the move.- ment of the arm 3:0 and rock-shaft 18 under the influence .of the spring 42.

In the embodiment .of the invention illustrated, automatic mechanism is provided for repeatedly .operating the coupling device or .clutchfconnection between the rock-shafts so that the rutiling blade will perform one reciprocation for a given number of reciprocations of the needle or, in other words,

so that the ruiling mechanism will make one plait or lrutile for a predetermined number of stitches.

To this end there is iixed to the main-shaft 12 va worm 48 which drives the gear 49 to which is ixed the cani-.disk 50 having a `camgroove 51 entered by a follower roll 52 on the lever ulcrumed at 54 on the ramebracket which also supports the ixed vertical shaft 56 on which lthe gear 49 and To the lever 53 is connected the lower end ot the link 54 the upper end of whichv is pivot-ally connected at 55 -to the arm 56 rigid with the rocking frame 40. Throughout the major portion of its extent, the cam-groove 51 holds the roller 52 elevated and thus holds the arm 39, roller 38, and ruiiling blade 3 3 in full line or inoperative positien, Fig. 5. The cam-groove 51 has, however, short lower portion 57 which .I engages `the roller 52- every so many stitches and moves .the arm 39 and roller 38 to dotted line position, F 5, thus allowing the rulliing blade to be moved by the spring 34 into its full line or operative position for the plaiting action.

Mechanism is provided for coupling the rock-shafts 17, 18 together conconiitantly with the motion of the -ruiiling blade to operative position, To this end. the slidable coupling member 26 is formed with a vertical slot 58 which ,is entered by a pin 59 iixed to the upwardly extending arm 60 of a three-armed lever fulcrumed at 61 on the bearing bracket 15. The downwardly extending arm 62 ot the three-armed 'lever is connected by a spring 63 to a fixed pin 64 on the bearing bracket 15. The spring 63 yieldingly urges the three-armed lever in a direction to slide the coupling element 26 into driving relation with the coupling element 29. The third arm of the three armed lever overhang-s the rollerfstud 66 CiU-fled by the arm 67 fixed to the link 54. rlhe arrangement is such that when the link 54 is Vin its elevated position, Figs. l and 6, the roller Y66 holds the slidable coupling member 26 in a position disengaged from the companion coupling member 29. When the link 54 is lowered by the roller 52 in entering the short lower portion 57 of the cam-.groove 51, the down-motion of the roller-stud 6.6 permits the three-armed lever 60, 62, to be moved by the spring 63 to slide the couplingl member 26 into driving enga-gement with the coupling member 29, as shown in Fig. 9.

The timing of the cam-portion 57 relati-ve to the eccentric 21 and to the needle 8 is such that the ruining blade 33 is lowered to operative position and the rockshatts 17,218 are coupled together as the needle is executing a down-stroke and as the eccentric 21 is near one of its dwell positions. The ruiiiing stroke of the blade 33 is executed as the needle is rising. The ruilling blade 33 completes its ruliiing stroke in advance of the time when the needle point enters the work its down-stroke. At the end of the retracting stroke of the rutfling blade, it is disconnected from its driving means and elevated to inoperative position by the action .o't' the roller 52 in returning to the long elevated portion of the camgroove 51.

The provision of `a certain amount of clearance between the shoulders 27 of the driving coupling element 26 and the shoulders 28 ot the driven coupling element 29 gives opportunity or time for the cam 50 to slide the element 26 from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 9, While the eccentric 21 is rounding its 4dwell position relative to the pitman 22. At this time there is a slight rocking movement of the coupling element y26 but it is less than the amount of clearanceI provided between the shoulders 27 and 28. Hence the coupling element 26 may be fully moved to coupling position during a period of lost motion between the driving and driven clutch elements and before the driving clutch element transmits any rocking movement to the driven coupling element. This provision prevents the rounding or nicking of the corners of the clutch-shout ders from wear and tear on the parts.

The provision of the spring 63 for yieldingly moving the coupling element 26 into engagement with the coupling element 29 is a provision insuring safety of operation in case the stop-screw 47 is out of proper ad justment or in case any of operative parts controlling the engagement of the clutchelements are out of time. It the coupling member 26 were positively moved into driving relation with the coupling member 29 when these parts are out of adjustment or out of time, breakage would result.

The spring 42 holds the stop arm 46 against the stop-screw 47 when the ruiiiing blade is out of operation. The strength of the spring 42 may be adjusted by circularly adjusting the collar 44 on the shaft 18.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is l. Rufting mechanism for sewing machines having, in combination, a main-shaft, a ruliling blade, a driven rock-shaft connected to said ruiiiing blade, a driving rock-shaft actuated by said main-shaft and disposed in end-to-end coaxial relation with said driven rock-shaft, and a coupling device at the adj acent ends of said rock-shafts for establishing and interrupting driving relation between them without stopping the machine.

2. Rutiiing mechanism for sewing machines having, in combination, a main-shaft, a ruiiiing blade, a driven rock-shaft connected to said ruining blade, a driving rock-shaft actuated by said main-shaft and disposed in end-to-end coaxial relation with said driven rock-shaft, and a coupling device at the adjacent ends o said rock-shafts for establishing and interrupting driving relation between them without stopping the machine, said coupling device including a shouldered element slidably keyed to one of said rockshafts and a cooperative shouldered element fixed to the other rock-shaft.

3. In a ruliiing mechanism for sewing machines, the combination with a sewing machine having a bed and gooseneck, of driving and driven rock-shafts disposed in end-toend relation and carried by said gooseneck, a ruftling blade connected to said driven rock-shaft, a sliding coupling connection between said rock-shafts, and automatic means for repeatedly operating said coupling connection at predetermined intervals during a sewing operation.

4. In a sewing machine, driving and drivenrock-shafts disposed in axial alinement, a main-shaft, an eccentric on said main-shaft connected to constantly operate one of said rock-shafts, a ruliling blade conneet-ed to be operated by the other rockshait, a coupling element slidably keyed to one or said rock-shafts, a companion coupling element fixed to the other rock-shaft, and cam-mechanism for periodically actuating said first mentioned coupling element.

5. In a sewing machine, driving and driven rock-shafts, one of said rock-shafts having an axial aperture and the other having an extension entering said aperture, a gooseneck, said rock-shafts being journaled on said gooseneck and one end of one rockshait being supported by the other rockshafts, a ruiing blade connected to said driven rock-shaft, a coupling element slidably keyed to one of said rock-shafts, a companion coupling element fixed to the other rock-shaft, and means for shifting said irst mentioned coupling element into and out of operative engagement with said companion coupling element while said driving rock-shaft is in operation;

6. In a sewing machine, a ruiiiing blade, a main-shaft, a driving connection between said main-shaft and ruiiiing blade, said driving connection including a coupling device including driving and driven shouldered elements having a period of lost motion between them, and automatic means connected to said main-shaft for throwing in said coupling device during said period of lost motion.

7 In a sewing machine, driving and driven rock-shafts, a rutling blade connected to the driven rock-shafts, a main-shaft and connections for operating the driving rockshaft, a clutch-connection between said rockshafts, said clutch-connection including driving and driven shoulders elements having a period of lost motion between them, and means for automatically establishing said clutch-connection during said period ot' lost motion.

8. In a sewing machine, driving and driven rock-shafts, a rutliing blade connected to the driven rock-shaft, a main-shaft and connections for operating the driving rockshaft, a clutch-connection between said rockshafts, said clutch-connection including driving and driven shoulder elements having a period of lost motion between them, a continuously moving clutch-controlling cam, and a worm and gear connection between said cam and said main-shaft, said cam being timed to establish said clutch-connection during said period of lost motion.

9. Rutiing mechanism for sewing machines comprising a main-shaft, a driving eccentric thereon, driving and driven alined rock-shafts, the former of which is permanently connected to said driving eccentric, an arm fixed to the end of the driven rock-shaft remote from the driving rockshaft, a ruttling blade pivotally mounted on said arm, a throw-in and throw-out coupling connection between said rock-shafts, a cam for operating said coupling connection and a worm drive connection between said mainshaft and said cam.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication.

ANDREW B. CLAYTON. 

